


Better Late Than Never

by Seraph_Novak



Series: Tyrus One-Shots [48]
Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Coming Out, Confessions, Costumes, Episode Fix-it, M/M, One Shot, Tyrus - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-08 04:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17974769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seraph_Novak/pseuds/Seraph_Novak
Summary: TJ apologises to Cyrus for bailing on their costume, and confessions are made.





	Better Late Than Never

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! I had to write a fix-it fic for 3x13, because it broke my heart... I know there's a lot of these floating around at the moment, but I hope you enjoy it all the same!
> 
> As always, all comments and kudos are very much appreciated ♥
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://seraph-novak.tumblr.com)

By the time TJ finds him on the swings, his tears have already smudged the grey makeup on his face, leaving two dirty pink tracks running down his cheeks. He can’t bear to meet the other boy’s eyes; an ugly storm of hurt and shame is already swirling inside his gut, and TJ’s pity would only make things worse, tipping the scales from disappointment to heartbreak.

“Cyrus,” TJ says, the word catching in his throat. Out of the corner of his eye, Cyrus sees him clenching his fists. “Can we talk?”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Please, just hear me out.”

Another wave of dejection crashes over him, soaking him to the bone with an aching sense of fatigue. He presses his fingers against his temples and closes his eyes. “I’m really not in the mood, TJ.”

“I know I screwed up –”

“Yeah,” Cyrus says, snapping his head up with an unexpected surge of anger. As soon as he sees the genuine pain in TJ’s eyes, he falls back with a sigh, his shoulders slumping sadly. “You did screw up,” he adds softly. “You really hurt me.”

TJ winces. “I… I didn’t mean to. I didn’t  _want_ to.”

“No one forced you to bail on me.”

“I know,” TJ says, his voice barely a whisper. He kicks at the woodchips beneath his feet, unconsciously tracing a crude sun with the toe of his sneakers, and swallows thickly. When he lifts his head again, his eyes are glittering with tears. “I really wanted to do the costume with you, Cy. I was looking forward to it.”

“Then, why…?”

“I don’t even know how to explain it,” TJ mumbles. After a moment’s hesitation, he shoves his hands in his pockets and sits on his usual swing, pointedly avoiding Cyrus’ questioning gaze. “When Kira asked me to do a costume with her, I didn’t plan on saying yes… I mean, I turned her down.  _Twice_.”

Cyrus wrinkles his nose. “And she still kept pushing?”

“I guess she’s not used to being told no.”

“Sounds like it.”

“Anyway.” TJ runs a hand through his hair and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. In that position, he looks like a scared little boy, and Cyrus can’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for his friend, despite everything. “After I turned her down, she got all weird…”

“Weird how?”

“Well, she insulted our costume idea, for a start. And then she asked me if I really wanted to do a costume with you instead of her, which I obviously  _did_ , but… I didn’t like the way she said it.”

“How did she say it?”

TJ bites his lip, his knees bouncing anxiously. “Like it was a threat.”

“A threat?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t understand.”

All the colour drains from TJ’s face when he looks up at Cyrus. He opens his mouth, his words coming out as gasps of silent air, then snaps it shut. With the click of his teeth, the heat rushes back to his cheeks, arching over his nose and creeping up his neck. He’s wringing his hands together when he finally dares to speak.  

“She made it seem like she knew something,” he says, aiming the words at his feet. “Something about me.”

Cyrus inches closer, a fly to the bulb of TJ’s discomfort. “What does she know, Teej?”

“I… I don’t know if I should say…”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Cyrus assures him. Without thinking, he reaches out and squeezes his hand, taken aback by the violent shudder that runs down TJ’s arm in response. He considers pulling away, but TJ grabs his hand before he gets the chance. The ghost of a smile touches his lips as he threads their fingers together. “But don’t think you  _can’t_  tell me, because you can. You can tell me anything, okay?”

TJ shoots him a quivering smile, his cheeks wet with tears. “I’m scared you’ll hate me.”

“That will never happen.”

“How do you know?”

“Because,” he says, playfully bumping their shoulders together, “we’re friends, right? And friends don’t give up on each other. No matter what.” He tilts his head to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of TJ’s expression as he stares at the ground. “Whatever it is, you can tell me. I’m here for you.”

Another shudder runs through TJ’s body, climbing his spine and leaving his mouth in the form of a watery laugh. Cyrus’ fingers twitch with the urge to wrap his arms around his friend and wrestle the shivers into submission, to bask him in warmth and tell him everything’s going to be okay. But he can tell that TJ needs some time to work things through in his head, so he stays where he is, the simple touch of his hand a silent show of support.

“Cyrus,” TJ says after a while, his words hitching with the squeak of a hiccup. “I think I’m… I-I think I’m gay.”

The confession jolts through Cyrus like a bolt of lightning, reigniting the cooling embers of hope in his heart. He searches his mind for something to say –  _anything_ to ease the stricken look of panic on TJ’s face – but nothing seems quite right. Instead, he stands up from his swing and slowly folds his arms around TJ’s body, resting his head against the other boy’s shoulder with a trembling sigh.

“It’s okay,” he whispers, sniffing back tears. “You’re okay, Teej.”

A sob tumbles from TJ’s lips. “I’m sorry.”

“Shhh…”

“I should’ve told you sooner.”

“No.” Cyrus shakes his head. “It’s completely up to you who you tell and when.”

“But you’re my best friend,” TJ says, gingerly leaning into Cyrus’ touch. For a moment, a small smile breaks the surface of his face, but it’s quickly swallowed up by another frown, this one seething with anger. “I can’t believe  _she_ was the first to know.”

Cyrus pulls away slightly, so he can look him in the eye. “How did she figure it out?”

TJ flushes. “Oh, um…”

“You don’t have to tell me!”

“No,” he says, purposefully clearing his throat. “I… I want to.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Cyrus squeezes his hand, his chest fluttering with pride, then takes a step back to give him some space. For a few moments, TJ does nothing but bounce his knees and twiddle his thumbs, but Cyrus can see the gleam of determination in his eyes. He looks beautiful and strong, and Cyrus can feel his heart spilling over with affection for his friend, surging through his veins and pooling in his stomach like warm honey.    

“It was you,” TJ suddenly says, so quiet Cyrus almost misses it. “You’re the reason she figured it out.” He flicks a nervous glance at Cyrus, his cheeks practically glowing. “I guess I’m not as subtle as I thought.”

“What do you mean?” Cyrus asks. His heart is thumping so loudly, he can hardly hear his own thoughts.

TJ swallows roughly. “I… I like you, Underdog. I have for a while.” He lifts his shoulders with a self-conscious shrug, his eyes never straying from the ground beneath his feet. “Kira must’ve figured it out when she saw us together.”

“That’s why she teased you about our costume?”

“Yeah. Maybe.”

Cyrus scoffs, his emotions caught between elated and furious. He’s too busy sifting through the racing thoughts in his head to notice TJ walking away. But then the empty swing hits him in the shin and snaps him out of his trance.

“TJ, wait!” he cries, grabbing his bag and chasing him across the park. “Where are you going?”

When he reaches out to touch him, TJ shrugs him off, deliberately hunching his shoulders to hide his face. “Just leave me alone, Cy. I don’t need you to feel sorry for me.”

“What?”

“Just go away!”

“No!” Cyrus makes a swipe for his arm and spins him around, their chests knocking against each other in the heat of the moment. “I’m not leaving until you hear what I have to say.”

TJ throws his hands in the air. “Why? So you can reject me? No thanks.”

“You really  _are_ oblivious sometimes.”

“What does that even mean?”

“I like you too!” Cyrus exclaims, his eyes growing wide as soon as he says it. With his confession hanging in the air, he’s suddenly conscious of how close they’re standing, but his feet refuse to move. There’s no backing down now.

TJ blinks at him in surprise. “You… You what?”

“I like you,” Cyrus says again, this time with a smile. “I came to school with a  _colander_  on my head to make you happy… I’m really not that subtle either.”

“But, you… You’re not… Are you gay?”

“Very.”

TJ splutters a laugh. “And you like me back?”

“Yes!”

“Even though I bailed on you?”

Cyrus deflates a little, the sting of the wound still fresh. “Well, I won’t say it didn’t hurt, but… At least I know why you did it now.” He smiles sadly. “I just wish you called.”

“I wanted to!”

“But?”

“I dunno,” TJ says, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess Kira made me realise how obvious my feelings were… It’s like she put a magnifying glass over everything I did, you know? I thought, if I called you, maybe you’d figure it out, too…” He sighs. “I know that’s no excuse for what I did, but… I really am sorry, Cy. I’m such an idiot!”

“No.” Cyrus takes his hand and holds it against his chest, allowing TJ to feel the throbbing of his heart. “What Kira did to you… I don’t blame you for being scared.”

“I’m so sorry for hurting you.”

A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “I’ll live.”

“There’s gotta be something I can do to make it up to you.”

“You really don’t have to –”

“I’ve got it!” TJ says, snapping his fingers in triumph. He lets go of Cyrus’ hand to root through his bag, smiling brightly as he pulls out a pair of sunglasses and puts them on. “The rest of my costume’s in here, too.”

Cyrus laughs. “Why did you still bring it?”

“Just in case I stopped being a coward and told you the truth,” he says, giving Cyrus a wink. “I guess I made the right call.”

“You definitely did.”

“So… Should I go change?”

“Okay,” Cyrus says, a mischievous grin creeping across his face. “On one condition.”

“What?”

Before TJ can protest, Cyrus whips the colander out of his bag and puts it on the other boy’s head, plucking the sunglasses off his face with a smug little smile.

“I call summer.”


End file.
